


To the Dogs

by allourheroes



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Adult Damian, Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Jealousy, M/M, alternate universe - not heroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 04:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4249440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allourheroes/pseuds/allourheroes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Damian has a crush on his new (probably married) neighbor and Gar is (literally) a dog.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To the Dogs

**Author's Note:**

> For this prompt (from an anon): “hey new neighbor it appears that your dog likes me a thousand times better than she likes your partner and they’re really jealous and i’m sorry but not really because hellloooooo there” (from [this list](http://bravespidey.tumblr.com/post/117617251601/au-ideas-you-never-asked-for))
> 
> I apologize for the awful title.

Damian had noticed–in passing–that the house down the street had sold. He hadn’t thought much of it one way or another, although some neighbors tend to make themselves _known_.

He prefers people who keep to themselves.

It’s why he likes living here–most people will only go so far as a polite smile as he walks by, even with a magnificent beast like Titus walking at his side.

Damian strolls past the house without thinking anything of it, but suddenly Titus lets out a low growl and Damian turns at the jingle of a collar.

A Pomeranian is running at him full-speed on its stubby little legs, panting and staring up at Damian, enraptured. Titus had stopped growling, seemingly in shock, but he lets out a huff and the tiny dog hides behind Damian, putting the young man between itself and Titus.

With a sigh, Damian scoops up the Pomeranian and gives it a nice scratch behind the ears. He meets the dog’s gaze and assesses the thing. It’s…cute. He hugs it a bit closer and looks down at Titus, who has cooled at Damian’s reaction to the other dog, although he continues to be on alert.

“ _Tt_.”

There’s the sound of commotion from the house and then the shouting begins. “Gar! _Gar_!” A man comes running out–a very _handsome_ man, a part of his brain notes, not that it makes much difference to Damian–and the guy just scratches the back of his head sheepishly.

“Sorry,” he says. “I don’t know how he got out.” He gives a nervous chuckles and offers his arms, ready to take his dog back.

Damian hesitates, but the man seems friendly enough, _apologetic_ enough. And the dog seems healthy, wriggling happily when he looks at his owner.

Damian hands over the Pomeranian–Gar?–and perhaps even says something borderline _friendly_ , by his standards, when a woman emerges from the house.

She’s beautiful–long red hair and big, concerned eyes–and Damian is not _envious_. He doesn’t even know this man. Why would he care that he has a girlfriend? It makes sense–more sense than a single man moving into a house like this, he supposes.

“He’s okay?” she asks, and she gets close but the dog is not eager to leap into her arms.

“Yeah,” the man answers. “Thanks to this guy.” The woman seems to notice Damian for the first time.

Then, she notices Titus. “Oh!” she gasps, and Damian winds Titus’s leash around his hand to keep him close. “What a big dog!” She doesn’t look scared, but rather intrigued, however.

The man crouches down to get a better look at Titus, smiling widely. “What’s his name?”

“Titus,” Damian announces proudly, and Titus preens.

“This is Gar,” the man tells him, standing up and hoisting his dog in emphasis. “Garfield,” he amends. He tucks the dog securely under his arm and offers his hand. “Dick Grayson,” he introduces, and Damian barely hesitates before shaking his hand. The guy just _oozes_ charm.

“Damian,” he says, but before their hands even drop, the woman is in his space.

“Koriand’r,” she says, and then she’s crushing Damian in a hug.

She’s far stronger than he would’ve expected. Damian does his best at being civil as he extracts himself, although his instinct was to thrash out and possibly _attack_.

Titus is growling now, loudly, and Dick edges himself between Damian and Koriand’r.

“Kori can be a little too friendly,” he apologizes. “You okay?” His gaze doesn’t flicker to the giant, angry beast next to Damian, even as Titus tries to intimidate him away, his eyes looking on Damian’s instead.

“I’m fine,” Damian says primly, stepping even closer to Titus. “Although I don’t appreciate being touched without permission.”

Kori’s face falls and she looks truly apologetic, placing a hand on Dick’s shoulder for some sort of reassurance. “I did not mean–”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Damian repeats, as he doesn’t particularly want to make a scene–not allow this woman to believe she had in any way _damaged_ him. He raises his chin. “Keep a better eye on Gar,” he tells them, and he can’t help giving the dog one last pet before he walks off.

“I did something wrong,” he hears Koriand’r say as he and Titus continue their walk.

“It’s okay,” Dick reassures.

Damian turns his head just enough to see their half-embrace–Gar on Dick’s other side–out of his peripheral vision.

He doesn’t like her.

~

Damian is alone the next time he sees Dick Grayson…and Gar. Luckily, he’s behind them and thus can get away without notice should he choose.

Dick looks more ridiculous with the small, fluffy dog than he had the last time, but perhaps it’s because Damian is watching them from a distance, too far to get… _distracted_. Until his gaze drifts to Grayson’s lower half.

He’s never much understood the compulsion to _stare_ , but he must admit that the man’s ass is oddly fascinating, along with the guy’s thighs in those shorts that _must_ be too small for him. They give a lot away.

Damian has _almost_ managed to pry his eyes away, angry at himself, when Gar stops suddenly and turns to him. And then Dick Grayson is turning to him and smiling and _waving_ and–

Oh. They’re coming closer. Damian can’t run now. Slowly, he walks towards them.

Gar reaches him first and Damian can’t help bending down to play with the little dog, his smile completely unbidden.

“I think he’s in love with you,” Dick says, laughing, and Damian scoffs at him.

“He has a good sense for people,” Damian replies surely.

“Oh, yeah?” Dick questions, assessing, but he’s still got that damn smile on his face. “I think I’m inclined to agree.”

Damian feels his cheeks heat and concentrates back on the dog. “How old is Gar?” he asks, deflecting.

Dick’s brows furrow and and he hums. “Three?” he says, uncertain.

“ _Tt_. You should know.”

It comes out rude, but for some reason Grayson doesn’t get upset. He just chuckles. “Yeah, I probably should. I’ll find out,” he tells Damian and receives a nod in response. “You really like animals, don’t you?”

“They’re much better than humans.”

Damian doesn’t see the softness that comes over Dick’s features then, just hears the man hum again. “Okay,” Grayson says. “Well, do you want to finish the walk with us? We’re almost done and it’s nice to have someone other than Gar to talk to.”

Damian is going to say no, really, but then he nods instead. “Sure,” he says, nonchalant, and it makes him paradoxically nervous for a moment that he is actually so at ease.

“Great!” Dick announces, and Damian can’t bear to look at that bright happiness for too long.

It takes only a minute or so before he’s clearing his throat, asking, “Why isn’t the woman with you?”

“Kori? She just got off work so she’s back at the house, probably stealing my leftovers.”

Damian doesn’t comment on that, but they talk as they go along and Damian almost wishes they weren’t so close to Dick and Kori’s house already.

“This was nice,” Dick tells him as they approach the door.

“Mhm.” Damian glances sidelong at Dick and then chooses to look at Gar as he speaks. “If you’d ever want me and Titus to join you, I could give you my number,” he suggests and, what is he doing? This guy is probably _married_ , but this is the most he’s ever liked anyone. He doesn’t usually… _like_ …people.

Dick sounds overly pleased as he says, “I’d love that.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket–and _how_ , just _how_ had that fit?–to hand it over to Damian.

After Damian has finished entering his number, the door opens and Kori is standing there staring at them.

Damian feels a flash of guilt, but a hint of victory, too. He feels like he’s winning against her even though he knows how ridiculous the idea is.

He has a _problem_.

Kori’s smile is slightly confused. “I heard voices,” she says.

Dick Grayson hesitates and Damian wonders if the man might share his feelings. “Gar saw Damian and we convinced him to join us for our walk.”

“I see,” Koriand’r replies, but her gaze focuses on Damian. “Are you staying here?”

“No,” he tells her firmly. “Anyway, Grayson, I have to go.”

“Tomorrow morning?” Dick asks.

Damian looks from Dick to Kori and sees the slight frown on her face. “Yes,” he agrees. “Goodbye, Grayson.” He looks down at the panting Pomeranian who has started to watch him again, waiting. “Goodbye, Gar.” He starts to turn before adding, like an afterthought, “Koriand’r.”

“Tomorrow morning?” she’s asking as he walks away, and he smiles to himself, mean-spirited.

~

Their morning walk turns into a light jog and when they stop for Gar’s sake, Dick stretches his shoulders and back, vertebrae popping. “Want to stop for tea? Or, uh, coffee? There’s a little shop two blocks over.”

“Alright.”

Damian knows it’s a friendly thing, but it’s getting harder and harder to ignore how much he likes spending time with Dick. He _wants_ it to be something more.

Titus whines and Damian looks hard at the dog, as if they can communicate this way–as if Titus can save him from his _feelings_.

They both order tea and compare books and fight scenes in their favorite movies and set up a time to play video games on Friday. The dogs don’t seem to mind the break, laying happily at their feet as they talk.

It’s perfect.

Damian is very annoyed that Koriand’r exists.

~

It becomes a habit. They’re walking together at least every other day, sometimes twice a day, and they have several video game and movie dates– _hangouts_ , Damian corrects mentally–and it’s fun.

It’s so much fun. The dogs are happy and Damian would be, too…if it weren’t for Kori.

They’re just watching TV, hanging out at Dick and Kori’s after a nice, long walk with the dogs–currently playing in the backyard–when Dick goes quiet.

Damian turns from the television and finds Grayson staring at him.

“I really like you,” Dick says, and he licks his lips and leans in and Damian would be damned not to kiss him back.

Dick reacts to Damian, firm enough that Damian is urged to press back, to deepen the kiss until–

The door opens and Damian pulls away as if he’s been burned.

Dick peeks over the back of the couch. “Donna!” he greets. “How was your flight?”

A female voice answers, one that Damian is unfamiliar with. “ _Long_ ,” Donna groans.

Damian hears cooing and turns to see a dark-haired woman nuzzling into Kori’s chest.

“Bed?” Donna asks.

Koriand’r smiles. “This way, my love.”

It’s Damian’s turn to be confused and Dick explains, “Yeah, Donna just finished up a big project in Greece. I’m sure Kori will be keeping her occupied for a while.” He takes in Damian’s continued frown and tilts his head. “What?”

“I thought she was your wife,” Damian admits, feeling stupid.

Dick laughs and his arm rests on the back of the sofa, his fingertips light on Damian’s shoulder, teasing. “Oh, so I was forbidden fruit, huh?” he asks, scooting closer. “Have I lost my appeal now that you know I’m actually, truly, _completely_ available?”

“No,” Damian responds, and he slips a leg over Dick’s lap, straddles him. “And you are _not_.”

Grayson’s laugh turns into a moan…but they take Titus and relocate back to Damian’s when Kori moans _much_ louder from the other room.

Dick only mocks Damian a little for the misunderstanding as they roll around Damian’s thousand thread count sheets and Damian doesn’t care at all because Dick is all _his_.

Damian will bring Gar a treat tomorrow, he thinks later, for introducing him to the man of his dreams, should he have ever considered such a thing.

…And maybe he rethinks his stance on Kori. _Maybe_.

**Author's Note:**

> Um. If you guys are interested in Dick/Damian, I post a bunch of fic for them on [my tumblr](http://allourheroes.tumblr.com).


End file.
